


For You

by rikujo (helphiddlestoned)



Series: 25 Days of Fic [5]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: 25 Days of Fic, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Day 5: Christmas Tree, Established Relationship, M/M, a few other nations are mentioned in passing but that's it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2019-02-11 03:21:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12926253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helphiddlestoned/pseuds/rikujo
Summary: The whole Christmas season is partly focused on gift giving, but perhaps gifts are best when they're still unexpected.





	For You

**Author's Note:**

> Day 5 of 25 Days of Fic. I broke the 1000 word limit. Again. Sue me, I love FrUk. The Léa briefly mentioned is Belgium, it's the name I always use for her. Hope you enjoy!

Smooth jazz flowed gently, turned down low, into Arthur’s living room and the floor was scattered with boxes hefted down from the loft that morning. The tree, sat in the far right corner, was typically dropping needles into the carpet already. There were two teacups curling with steam on the coffee table and the early crowd of Christmas cards were huddled together on the mantelpiece, splashes of red, green and white shining back at him with hints of glitter that glinted in the soft yellow lamplight.

And the delicate white and blue glass baubles Matthew had given him three years ago were missing.

Arthur pursed his lips.

“Do you know where those baubles from Matthew are?” he asked, scanning the various boxes with his hands planted on his hips, but he didn’t dare actually move lest he tread on something important—perhaps the aforementioned baubles.

“They’re in the box with the tiny clay gingerbread figurines Léa sent last year.” Francis responded, not looking up from where he was untangling fairy-lights and slowly wrapping them round the tree.

Arthur shook his head. “No, that’s where I thought they were too, but they’re not.”

“Have you checked properly?”

His eyebrow twitched. “ _Yes_.” he insisted. “I thought everything nice was in there but it’s just those bloody gaudy miniature wreaths that Antonio foisted on me.”

Francis did a poor job of hiding his smile behind a tree branch. “It’s the thought that counts.”

“The thought was passive-aggression, so it really doesn’t.”

The soft laughter was even more poorly smothered.

“Have you checked the stocking box?” Francis suggested, though, being mildly helpful, and Arthur paused.

“No.” Arthur realised. “No, I haven’t.” There was logic to it. The stockings provided some protection for the glass. He began picking his way through the boxes, banging his shin on the one containing Antonio’s wreaths and not stopping to check if any of them had broken. He made it almost across the living room without falling over, an impressive feat given the chaos, but as he went to step round Francis his toes caught on a stray loop of light cable. He jerked, pitching forward, and teetered. “Blast it!”

Before he could plant face-first into the carpet, though, a hand reached out to catch his. Francis’s fingers gripped his, just firm enough to take a little of his weight as he helplessly leant into the support, and he rocked back into place, managing to steady himself.

“Careful.” Francis murmured, and while their fingers were still tangled, he fluttered a kiss to the back of Arthur’s knuckles.

Unhooking his foot from the fairy lights, Arthur cleared his throat. “Yes, thank you.”

Five minutes of rooting around later and he pulled back with a thinner, narrower box, straightening up just as Francis flicked on the Christmas lights. Patches of soft, multi-coloured light sprung up across the room, scattering the shadows and shining warmly through the tree branches. They splashed across the plastic window of the bauble box as Arthur headed back to the tree, reflecting off the glass within when he opened it. The fragile blown glass, swirled with blue and white patterns, was all that was needed to set off the tree.

He hung them as Francis stepped away, drawing back with a satisfied smile once he’d finished and propping his hands on his hips.

“There, now it looks decent.”

“You’re forgetting something.” Francis informed him, making him frown.

“What? No I’m not. If you mean the crap from Antonio I’m not ruining the tree with it.”

Francis chuckled. “I don’t; something rather more important.”

Arthur looked over the tree, folding his arms. “I’m not forgetting anything, I know—”

“ _Arthur_.”

He finally glanced across, curious of the firm tone. Francis was holding an arm out towards him, a small, neat present in his hand, the red ribbon stark against the white box.

Arthur blinked. “Oh.”

Francis’s smile spread. “Eloquent as ever.” He held the box out. “I know it’s not Christmas yet, but it would be a waste to wait a full year to use it.”

Taking the box somewhat tentatively, Arthur pulled on the ribbon to unfurl it. It unravelled, falling aside, and he removed the lid. There was the rustle of tissue paper, the thin white blocking his view of the inside as Francis wordlessly took the lid, setting it aside.

Pushing back the layers of paper, Arthur fingers met with something cold and he fished the object out to hold it up in the light. Tiny white flakes spun inside a small glass dome, swirling across a delicate, silhouetted metal scene. It was a little snow globe, a silver thread looped through a ring on top of it so that it could be hung from the tree, sat on a festive, deep red base.

For a long moment, Arthur simply gazed into it.

There was a little table in the foreground, two men in each seat bundled up in coats, with the obvious silhouettes of a teacup and a wine glass on the table. Even if the set-up alone hadn’t screamed ‘French’ at him, the Eiffel tower in the back of the scene did. It was a picture perfect snapshot of Paris in winter…and a remarkably familiar one. His eyes flicked back to Francis.

“Did you have this custom made?” he asked quietly.

Francis only shrugged, a smile still playing around his lips. “Perhaps.”

“Frivolous.” Arthur muttered, but his eyes returned to the tiny scene, caught on it. He gave it a gentle shake, sending plumes of ‘snow’ billowing across it. It was undeniably beautiful. “Thank you.” he said at last.

“Since people have a habit of buying you Christmas decorations, I thought you ought to have one that reminded you of me.” Francis explained.

A smile touched Arthur’s lips quite without his permission. He placed the box on the coffee table before crossing to the tree and finding one of the last free spots at the front. He carefully hung the snow globe, making sure it was secure, and stepped away as the snow settled around the figures.

“You didn’t have to do that.” The words came quiet, altogether too soft, but then perhaps it was the season for such things. He wordlessly reached out and took Francis’s hand in his, winding their fingers together. He saw Francis smile out of the corner of his eye.

“I know.” Francis assured. “I wanted to.” He turned towards him and, after a beat, Arthur faced him. “You like it, no?” Francis whispered, tugging gently on his fingers and drawing him closer.

For once, Arthur went without the token protest.

“I do.” he admitted.

Francis slipped an arm around his waist, the world growing a little warmer as they pressed flush together.

“Then I’m satisfied.”

Arthur let out a huff, tempted to debate the statement, but instead he found himself caught on blue eyes. Deciding to let the moment linger, he leant in, pressing a long, slow kiss to Francis’s lips. A soft, pleased sound lifted from Francis’s throat and he parted his lips, drawing it out between them as they leant into one another. When they finally pulled away, the room seemed altogether warmer than before.

Arthur found himself smiling. “Happy Christmas, Francis.”

Mirroring the expression, Francis dropped another light peck to his lips. “Happy Christmas, Arthur.”

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are very much appreciated! You can also come and bother me at anglaisaph on tumblr ❤


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